The invention relates generally to a crop testing and evaluating system that allows a farmer to collect and generate information pertaining to the economic, quantitative and qualitative value of a crop, such as grain, forage, hay, or other harvestable produce, and in particular, to a system that may be used while the crop is being harvested. The invention provides an efficient method of evaluating research products, such as plant hybrids or varieties.
Traditionally, when farmers harvest a crop such as corn, wheat or other grain, they will transport the harvested grain to a grain elevator for storage and sale. Typically, the grain elevator operator will conduct a number of tests on the harvested grain to determine the value of the grain and consequently the price for which the grain elevator operator will purchase the harvested grain from the farmer. Such tests may include testing the harvested grain for its weight, percentage of moisture content, test weight, or other characteristics. Normally, the farmer will not know the quality and value of his or her harvested crop until after the grain has been delivered to the grain elevator operator and has been tested and evaluated by the operator. Regularly, farmers may store some of the harvested grain on the farm and take such measurements while the grain is stored in bins or cribs in a storage area.
In both cases, however, the farmer is unable to match the tested grain with the field from which it was produced without considerable record keeping and inefficient expenditure of time, money and labor during harvesting. Consequently, the farmer is often unable to determine which field, for example, should have its cultural and environmental conditions changed in order to increase the productivity of the field.
In addition, new genetic varieties or strains of grains are continually being developed and researched. As a result, farmers sometimes will experiment with these new varieties of grains to find the most productive and profitable strains in which to grow. With the conventional method of testing a harvested crop by bringing the entire crop to a grain elevator for evaluation, it is difficult for farmers to accurately determine which varieties of grain may be the most productive and profitable. The seed corn industry, for example, will typically expend a considerable amount of time and money on research and testing of new plant varieties.
Currently, there does not exist an efficient and effective system by which a farmer can accurately evaluate the economic value and quality of a crop during harvesting. Nor is there an efficient and effective system whereby the farmer can grow and harvest a variety of crops under various environmental conditions and be able to determine a value of the various crops and accurately match this value with the fields from which the crops came.
There are two basic types of experimental testing techniques used for the evaluation of plant hybrids and varieties (genotypes). The first technique uses relatively small, experimental plots generally ranging from eight to 20 feet in length and two rows in width. These small, experimental plots are planted in ranges, and multiple genotypes can be planted in one continuous process across a field. As the planter makes one trip across the field, two or more genotypes are planted in designated plots (locations) in the field. The second technique for evaluating plant hybrids and varieties uses large-sized plots, called strip plots, generally ranging in length from several hundred feet up to several thousand feet or more. Strip plots are not planted in ranges, and only one genotype is planted as the planter makes one trip across the field.